GODIN (Jean-Baptiste André). The Government. What it has bee - Lot 248

Lot 248
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GODIN (Jean-Baptiste André). The Government. What it has bee - Lot 248
GODIN (Jean-Baptiste André). The Government. What it has been, what it must be and true socialism in action. Paris, Guillaumin & Cie, Auguste Ghio, 1883. In-8 paperback, printed cover. Portrait of the author in frontispiece. Original edition. Small missing part at the top of the spine. Good copy. Inspired by Charles Fourier's phalanstery, the familistère de Guise, located in the commune of Guise, in the department of Aisne, was created for the accommodation of its workers by the industrialist Jean-Baptiste André Godin (1817-1888), supporter of utopian socialism and actor of the associationist movement, and also creator of the Godin cast iron stove company. A former worker, Godin had been marked by the terrible living and working conditions of industrial workers, particularly during a tour of France with a journeyman between 1835 and 1837. He therefore decided to use his fortune to improve the lives of his employees and propose solutions to the problem of worker pauperism, particularly after reading Charles Fourier's theories in 1842. In 1854, he invested in an attempt by the École sociétaire to set up a Phalanesterian colony in Texas, "La Réunion", led by Victor Considerant, but, having lost a third of his personal fortune there, he decided to devote himself alone to his major projects. From 1859 onwards, he set about creating a world around his factory in Guise, the "familistère", which operated in a manner comparable to that of workers' production cooperatives. In 1880, he founded an association, the Familistère, and transformed his company into a production cooperative, with the profits financing schools, relief funds, etc.
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